U-Pn geochronology of deformed metagranites in central Sutherland, Scotland: evidence for widespread late Silurian metamorphism and ductile deformation of the Moine Supergroup during the Caledonian orogeny

Within the Caledonides of central Sutherland, Scotland, the Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Moine Supergroup record NW-directed D2 ductile thrusting and nappe assembly, accompanied by widespread tight-to-isoclinal folding and amphibolite-facies metamorphism. A series of metagranite sheets which were emplaced and penetratively deformed during D2 have been dated using SHRIMP UâPb geochronology. Zircon ages of 424 8 Ma (Vagastie Bridge granite), 420 6 Ma (Klibreck granite) and 429 11 Ma (Strathnaver granite) are interpreted to date emplacement, and hence regional D2 deformation, during mid- to late Silurian time. Titanite ages of 413 3 Ma (Vagastie Bridge granite) and 416 3 Ma (Klibreck granite) are thought to date post-metamorphic cooling through a blocking temperature of c. 550â 500 8C. A mid- to late Silurian age for D2 deformation supports published models that have viewed the internal ductile thrusts of this part of the orogen as part of the same kinematically linked system of forelandpropagating thrusts as the marginal Moine Thrust Zone. The new data contrast with previous interpretations that have viewed the dominant structures and metamorphic assemblages within the Moine Supergroup as having formed during the early to mid-Ordovician Grampian arcâcontinent orogeny. The mid-to late Silurian D2 nappe stacking event in Sutherland is probably a result of the collision of Baltica with the Scottish segment of Laurentia

The Neoarchaean Uyea Gneiss Complex, Shetland: an onshore fragment of the Rae Craton on the European Plate

A tract of amphibolite facies granitic gneisses and metagabbros in northern Shetland, U.K., is here named the Uyea Gneiss Complex. Zircon U–Pb dating indicates emplacement of the igneous protoliths of the complex c. 2746–2726 Ma, at a later time than most of the Archaean protoliths of the Lewisian Gneiss Complex of mainland Scotland. Calc-alkaline geochemistry of the Uyea Gneiss Complex indicates arc-affinity and a strong genetic kinship among the mafic and felsic components. Zircon Hf compositions suggest an enriched mantle source and limited interaction with older crust during emplacement. Ductile fabrics developed soon after emplacement, with zircon rims at c. 2710 Ma, but there was little further deformation until Caledonian reworking east of the Uyea Shear Zone. There is no evidence for the Palaeoproterozoic reworking that dominates large tracts of the Lewisian Gneiss Complex and of the Nagssugtoqidian Orogen of East Greenland. The more northerly location of the Uyea Gneiss Complex and extensive offshore basement of similar age implies that, prior to the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean, these rocks were contiguous with the Archaean Rae Craton

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Meta-analysis identifies seven susceptibility loci involved in the atopic March

Eczema often precedes the development of asthma in a disease course called the a 'atopic march'. To unravel the genes underlying this characteristic pattern of allergic disease, we conduct a multi-stage genome-wide association study on infantile eczema followed by childhood asthma in 12 populations including 2,428 cases and 17,034 controls. Here we report two novel loci specific for the combined eczema plus asthma phenotype, which are associated with allergic disease for the first time; rs9357733 located in EFHC1 on chromosome 6p12.3 (OR 1.27; P=2.1 × 10 a'8) and rs993226 between TMTC2 and SLC6A15 on chromosome 12q21.3 (OR 1.58; P=5.3 × 10 a'9). Additional susceptibility loci identified

Structure of the Nanobody-Stabilized Active State of the Kappa Opioid Receptor

The κ-opioid receptor (KOP) mediates the actions of opioids with hallucinogenic, dysphoric, and analgesic activities. The design of KOP analgesics devoid of hallucinatory and dysphoric effects has been hindered by an incomplete structural and mechanistic understanding of KOP agonist actions. Here, we provide a crystal structure of human KOP in complex with the potent epoxymorphinan opioid agonist MP1104 and an active-state-stabilizing nanobody. Comparisons between inactive- and active-state opioid receptor structures reveal substantial conformational changes in the binding pocket and intracellular and extracellular regions. Extensive structural analysis and experimental validation illuminate key residues that propagate larger-scale structural rearrangements and transducer binding that, collectively, elucidate the structural determinants of KOP pharmacology, function, and biased signaling. These molecular insights promise to accelerate the structure-guided design of safer and more effective κ-opioid receptor therapeutics. A crystal structure of the active κ-opioid receptor provides a guide for the development of safe and effective new analgesics. © 2017 Elsevier Inc

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

Variants associated withHHIP expression have sex-differential effects on lung function

Background: Lung function is highly heritable and differs between the sexes throughout life. However, little is known about sex-differential genetic effects on lung function. We aimed to conduct the first genome-wide genotype-by-sex interaction study on lung function to identify genetic effects that differ between males and females. Methods: We tested for interactions between 7,745,864 variants and sex on spirometry-based measures of lung function in UK Biobank (N=303,612), and sought replication in 75,696 independent individuals from the SpiroMeta consortium. Results: Five independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed genome-wide significant (P</p

U-Pb geochronology of the Fort Augustus granite gneiss: constraints on the timing of Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic tectonothermal events in the NW Highlands of Scotland

The West Highland granite gneiss suite in Inverness-shire, Scotland, represents a series of S-type, anatectic granites formed by partial melting of host Neoproterozoic metasediments of the Moine Supergroup. U-Pb (SHRIMP) dating of zircons from a member of the suite, the Fort Augustus granite gneiss, indicates that the granitic protolith to the gneiss was intruded at 870 +/- 30 Ma. This is indistinguishable from the published age determined by the same method for the Ardgour granite gneiss at Glenfinnan, thus supporting the assumption that the various members of the West Highland granite gneiss are part of a single intrusive suite. The spread of ages from the zircon cores (1626-947 Ma) is interpreted to indicate a Proterozoic source terrain for the Moine sediments that were later melted to form the granitic protolith. A U-Pb age of 470+/-2 Ma obtained for titanite in the Fort Augustus granite gneiss is interpreted to date amphibolite-facies metamorphism during the early to mid-Ordovician Grampian Orogeny, The emerging similarity in the timing of this event either side of the Great Glen Fault implies that this structure does not juxtapose crustal blocks with significantly different histories with respect to the Grampian Orogeny